Culture

An old colleague and friend recently sent out an appeal for help. Due to health and financial problems, he and his partner were struggling to make ends meet, and just before Christmas, they became homeless. He set up a PayPal account to receive donations.
At the same time, my extended family was working to make low-rent shelter possible for a homeless, working single mother and her children in North Seattle.

A Queen Anne apartment building has experienced a bit of mayhem throughout the last few months. A thief broke in Sunday morning after he pried the building's front door open and stole tools from a storage closet and (ew) rummaged through people's laundry in the laundry room. In late December, a woman was caught on surveillance video also in the laundry room after she broke into the same building.

Tomorrow, 50 Shades of Grey (the blockbuster novel set in Seattle) opens as a movie--perfectly timed for our most punishing season. Here are some tips for finding pleasure in the pain that is February.

Right On Red No More. Today the City of Seattle rolled out a new campaign targeted at reducing traffic-related deaths in the next 15 years. Coined Vision Zero, this set of safety revisions will put an end to right-turns on red lights, take out dual turn lanes, and give walkers extra time in 10 busy intersections.

Must WatchSeattle Asian American Film Festival(2/12 to 2/15, times vary) This year, the annual festival of films by and about Asian-Americans will be held at the Northwest Film Forum, with the customary mix of new shorts, documentaries and features offering fresh perspectives on contemporary issues—including opening night film To Be Takei, about the Star Trek star.

Seattle is a city where the freeze may be real, but our coffee is warm and inviting. Thus, on the second Thursday of each month, MOHAI hosts Seattle AntiFreeze, a social gathering meant to delve into other things besides the stereotypical nice-but-distant characteristic that sometimes defines us to newcomers.

Legendary artist Andy Warhol submitted a giant flower design back in 1982 as part of a contest to adorn the top of the Tacoma Dome. He lost the contest, but now more than 30 years later, the Tacoma City Council has approved the use of his art atop the structure. According to King 5, this approval doesn't necessarily mean that Warhol's masterpiece will be on display, as "$5 million in private dollars must be raised first.

Stranger Than Fiction (2006) Will Ferrell stars as ordinary IRS agent Harold Crick who begins to hear a woman's voice narrating the minutiae of his life. Upon hearing the narrator utter this gem of a soundbite, "Little did he know that events had been set in motion that would lead to his imminent death," he seeks answers and meets Professor Jules Hilbert (Dustin Hoffman) who teaches him to truly live. Who picked it: Heath Loshbaugh, digital production associate

Jen Harwood describes herself as an “extreme planner,” a personality trait that parents the city over can be thankful for. While thinking about starting a family with her husband, the Greenwood resident began to weigh the differences between cloth and disposable diapers—the ecological and health benefits of cloth won out, but existing diaper services missed the mark.So she launched Diaper Stork last September, a flat-rate cloth diaper service serving Seattle and the greater Eastside.

Rather than go under the knife, Seahawks' cornerback Richard Sherman plans to let his elbow heal. The NFL star tore ligaments in his left elbow during the NFC Championship game against the Green Bay Packers. It was said he'd need Tommy John surgery, which is commonly associated with baseball pitchers.

In our bi-monthly Seattlemag.com column, Knute Berger--who writes regularly for Seattle Magazine and Crosscut.com and is a frequent pundit on KUOW--takes an in-depth look at some of the highly topical and sometimes polarizing issues in our city. The season for secession?

Seattleites, brace yourself: A whole lot of fabulous is about to set foot in our fair city. Forget about the rain and don your most fearless frock to the Showbox SoDo this Wednesday, February 11 at 9 p.m. for RuPaul's Drag Race: Battle of the Seasons 2015 Condragulations Tour.